Bitches Brew

[BJL]

What do you suggest from On the Corner? The CS album on Amazon is nearly 7 hours long! That's a lot of Wah Wah pedaling.

That depends on what you already own. On the Corner Sessions includes most of Get Up With It (but not Honky Tonk!) and Big Fun (but not Go Ahead John!), although the remastered versions of He Loved Him Madly and others are excellent and, I believe (by ear) Rated X is a remix. Beyond that, the unedited master takes are excellent and there are a few worthwhile unreleased tracks, Turnaround, Chieftain, Hip-Skip, Mr. Foster, the superb Mtume (Take 11) (referencing James Mtume the percussionist).

But you do have to be into this phase of Miles' music, or be willing to dive in and understand it. However, if you own Get Up With It and Big Fun, the On the Corner Sessions may not be worth the effort or expense. I listen to the released album as a complete concept piece (thank you Teo), and the other tracks for the amazing playing; and the previously released material has been remastered so I didn't mind the expense. Some of the music is difficult, but for me, difficult = rewarding. It did take me some time to get a good understanding of what he was doing. Great quote from Miles (paraphrasing, but close), when asked about understanding his 1970s music, he said, if you understood it, you would be me. Well, he was a personality, I'm not him, but I believe I have developed an understanding.

Edit: either way, Big Fun is critical because it includes the Macero/Miles tour de force Go Ahead John. As to Silent Way, for another view, the album Panthalassa - Miles Davis 1969-74 incorporates much material from the Silent Way session tapes, and other sources, in a brilliant edit done by Bill Laswell. Very worthwhile and he had access to some unreleased material for the purpose.

 

[ribonucleic]

"Mr. Macero strongly believed that the finished versions of Davis’s LPs, with all their intricate splices and sequencing done on tape with a razor blade, in the days before digital editing, were the work of art, the entire point of the exercise."

This is (very) roughly analogous to Homer criticizing James Joyce's Ulysses by saying "the dactylic hexameter is the entire point".

Art does not belong to the artist. It belongs to the audience, who may have its own ideas of what to do with it.

 

[ribonucleic]

for another view, the album Panthalassa - Miles Davis 1969-74 incorporates much material from the Silent Way session tapes, and other sources, in a brilliant edit done by Bill Laswell. Very worthwhile and he had access to some unreleased material for the purpose.

I like the album. And I think Laswell had a point when he said that Macero didn't have the rock/funk background that would have enabled him to fully understand what Davis was attempting.

That said, he neutered "Rated X".

 

[Multicore]

That depends on what you already own.

I have most everything available on streaming, which I find convenient. So the question is more: beyond the canonical albums, are there gems on the CS releases especially worth attention?

But you do have to be into this phase of Miles' music, or be willing to dive in and understand it.

Electric Miles has been one of the great and enduring loves and inspirations for me over the last 40+ years. I'm not a big jazz fan (although there are some artists and albums I adore) so his funk, rock and blues bands are more my speed. I've always been really interested in and drawn to creative improvisation (as opposed to stylistic) so Miles' use of skilled improvisers and putting them into situations that challenge them to innovate is just the best. I also really like the 80s come-back (Man With the Horn through Aura).

However, if you own Get Up With It and Big Fun, the On the Corner Sessions may not be worth the effort or expense. I listen to the released album as a complete concept piece (thank you Teo), and the other tracks for the amazing playing; and the previously released material has been remastered so I didn't mind the expense. Some of the music is difficult, but for me, difficult = rewarding. It did take me some time to get a good understanding of what he was doing. Great quote from Miles (paraphrasing, but close), when asked about understanding his 1970s music, he said, if you understood it, you would be me. Well, he was a personality, I'm not him, but I believe I have developed an understanding.

Music is an abstract language through which the unconscious minds of artists and audiences can connect. If we could satisfy this need using ordinary words then we wouldn't need the music. Some things that need to be expressed can't be put in words. So explaining one's understanding may be an intellectually stimulating challenge (I find it so) but not always easy or fruitful.

Edit: either way, Big Fun is critical because it includes the Macero/Miles tour de force Go Ahead John. As to Silent Way, for another view, the album Panthalassa - Miles Davis 1969-74 incorporates much material from the Silent Way session tapes, and other sources, in a brilliant edit done by Bill Laswell. Very worthwhile and he had access to some unreleased material for the purpose.

I love that album. Got it when it came out. I've been keen on Bill Laswell since Rockit. There's a tremendous trove of good material (haha, pun) on Bandcamp https://billlaswell.bandcamp.com/bassmatter.

 

[BJL]

I have most everything available on streaming, which I find convenient. So the question is more: beyond the canonical albums, are there gems on the CS releases especially worth attention?

Yes, of course. There is about 3 and half hours of unreleased music including the unedited master takes (and a couple of alternative takes) for most of the album; those are great both standing alone and to gain some understanding of Macero's creative process. There are a couple of hours of previously unreleased tracks that are also excellent. So, if you have a special interest in Miles Davis' music from that period, it is great, understanding that the tracks were not intended for release and are in some cases a bit rough around the edges, and being that the mixes were not supervised by Macero they lack his touch, and it shows. The main downside is that over a third of the set is previously released, although the remastering is excellent. I would only buy this if I had a strong interest in his music of that time (which I do, and so I did).

Edit: I noticed that the On the Corner Sessions set is available for streaming at qobuz dot com (at least, in the U.S.). They have a free trial, if you aren't a subscriber. I don't know anything about their streaming service, but I occasionally purchase downloads from them.

 

[MoreWatts]

London Brew, an homage to Bitches Brew, was released March 31.

From Allmusic: "The players are nearly a survey of the current South London scene: saxophonists Nubya Garcia and Shabaka Hutchings; tuba player Theon Cross; turntablist Benji B; drummers/percussionists Tom Skinner and Dan See; bassist Tom Herbert; guitarist Dave Okumu; violinist Raven Bush; and keyboardists Nikolaj Torp Larsen and Nick Ramm. Lampcov is the executive producer, and Martin Terefe produced the album.

In keeping with the studio vibe Davis created for the Bitches Brew sessions, this group's members offered one another only loose ideas, like a tempo, groove, or vamp, etc. That said, before that exchange occurred, they directly absorbed loops and samples from Bitches Brew gathered by Benji B; all are properly credited to Davis' estate. The musicians stumbled over them and one another on the first day. On the second, they were more comfortable with each other and the emergent collective creative process. On the final day, they gelled and cut the disc."

This YouTube link [can't imbed as multimedia] is to the Concord Records Official Audio with imagery for the first ~24 minutes of the 1:28 hour album (?)

The video is about the album production. Please enjoy a 2023 take on iconic Miles.

Some new Miles-influenced releases are recommended in The Jazz Thread here and here. Please take a look.

London Brew, London Brew, full album: YouTube link. Spotify link.

 

[krabapple]

I revisited it after years, maybe decades, of not listening to it. To me it seems OK but there's far too much of it which is just noise made by people too strung out on heroin to realise how boring they are.

Wow. There's a dozen players on Bitches Brew (including many now recognized as giants of modern jazz) and producer Teo Macero's editing was also crucial. To you and the four others who 'liked' your post: who exactly was 'strung out on heroin' during the BB sessions?

 

[MoreWatts]

Here is a link to a recent article at AllAboutJazz.com that addresses the over-emphasis on drug use in jazz history annals:

Busting Myths in Jazz History: Focus on the Music​

"...[we] should consider the fact that negative biographical information is, at best, irrelevant—and, at worst, prejudicial to students in introductory jazz courses. Reciting the sad episodes in a player's personal life story could submerge the musical story in students' minds, in effect nullifying it."

People should hate Bitches Brew for the music, if they want to, not because of unsubstantiated drug use.

 

[TLEDDY]

Anybody down for a listen to Penderecki's St. Luke Passion? Perhaps some George Crumb?

I'll take my Brew straight, no chaser... on my main system at about -10dB.

Again, among the many things I REALLY LIKE about ASR, is the music mentioned. I never heard of Penderecki before…as I listen, his work is interesting and I rather like it.
‘Thank you, ryanosaurl,for broadening my experience.

Tillman